Up & Coming

WEDNESDAY 7/29

RATATAT, DESPOT
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) See My, What a Busy Week!

APPENDIXES, LANDLINES, MERINGUE
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) Coming hot off a Saturday set at PDX Pop Now!, Appendixes bring their locally brewed minimalist indie-pop to the Kenton Club for the release of their brand-new EP, Fantasy, on independent Portland label Track and Field Records. The single from the EP, "Persian Rugs," is like a dwindling-star/soon-to-be-black-hole of spacey dream pop. The slow-burning synth and singular sparkly guitar riffs that at least superficially drive their music are combined with Beth Ann Morgan's dark, echoey vocals, creating simple yet expansive indie pop. It's a beautiful sight from light years of safety away, but a terrifying death up close. Pick up the new release tonight before they (most likely) sell out of them on their upcoming West Coast tour. CAMERON CROWELL

COLISEUM, ARCTIC FLOWERS, OLD CITY
(Hawthorne Theatre Lounge, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Since their 2004 self-titled debut, Coliseum have slowly progressed towards a sound of nü-hard rock, seemingly sprung from hardcore but only theoretically so. They sound not unlike Torche, aiming for higher platonic ideals than simple aggression through their dead-ahead chug. The group's newest label, Deathwish Inc., seems comfortable signing bands that are making plays for accessibility while staying rooted in underground aesthetics. (I guess releasing a Dropdead 7-inch gives them a little leeway.) Portland mainstays Arctic Flowers bring a deft touch to the bill, opting for a more oblique angle of attack than Coliseum's full-throttle charge. MAC POGUE

KEB MO
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark #110) Dear Keb Mo: You've won three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Blues Album, you were chosen by Martin Scorsese to contribute to his 2003 film series The Blues, and you were invited by President Obama in 2012 to perform at the White House's "Red, White, and Blues" concert, with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Jeff Beck. You are regarded as one of the most talented living blues singers and guitar players. So, please, stick to doing what you do best and play more blues, and less of the adult contemporary stuff you've been leaning on more and more with each new album. I understand your desire to be considered more than just a blues man, as if there's anything belittling about that, but the blues is what we want to hear—not your sentimental easy listening ballads. Don't forsake the blues, Keb Mo. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY

THURSDAY 7/30

RIGSKETBALL: TALKATIVE, HUSTLE AND DRONE, THANKS, THE WOOLEN MEN, & MORE
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) See My, What a Busy Week!

NURSES, US LIGHTS, DUST COVERED CARPET
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) See My, What a Busy Week!

PICKATHON PRE-PARTY: WOLF PEOPLE, SAM COHEN, JACKSON BOONE, & MORE
(Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley) Read our article on Wolf People.

SOUL ASYLUM, MEAT PUPPETS
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, #110) As much a part of the Twin Cities punk-rock renaissance as the Replacements or Hüsker Dü (that's Dave Pirner yelling "Fuck you, man!" at the beginning of the 'Mats' classic "Kids Don't Follow" on the 1982 Stink EP), Soul Asylum somehow became a tame mainstream one-hit wonder to an entire generation. That unfortunate legacy is misleading (and not even so unfortunate, as the massive success of the "Runaway Train" video led to the location of some 26 missing children during its initial run), as the band were pioneers in the melding of punk, hardcore, classic rock, and country during their initial mid- to late-'80s heyday. Along with fellow underrated '90s rock castaways Meat Puppets, this show should hopefully serve as a welcome reanalysis of two classically great American rock bands, and not a simple nostalgia tour circuit stop. RYAN J. PRADO

HOLLY HERNDON, VISIBLE CLOAKS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Holly Herndon's latest album, Platform, is a reaction to a life lived online. Confused, concerned, yet unbowed when it comes to her constant connection to the web, the California-based electronic artist wrote a coquettish love song for the imaginary NSA employee tracking her every click. She also used software that translated her browsing into sound to create the backing music to another tune, and explored the phenomenon of Automated Sensory Meridian Response, the strange experience some people have when they sense a tingling on their scalp or back triggered by a touch or smell, with a track that features an alluring stretch of spoken word. Even at its most brash and fractured, Platform has a startling intimacy that pulls you deep to its core for moments of bliss and self-reflection. ROBERT HAM

CLOROX GIRLS, NERVOUS TALK
(Star Bar, 639 SE Morrison) It's not often that an album immediately catches my attention, but J'aime Les Filles did just that. From the recording to the guitar tones to the short, intensely poppy melodies and rich harmonies, it was like the best of the Buzzcocks redux (albeit in 2007). I had never even heard of the Clorox Girls at the time, even though these lads were originally from my hometown, Oakland (though by then they had moved to Portland). Unfortunately, the band's longtime fans didn't appreciate the album as much as I did (although always poppy in the late-'70s/early-'80s sense, the band had a harder edge on previous releases), and the Clorox Girls got bummed out and went on hiatus for a while. But now they're theoretically less bummed, and back with an original lineup (they've gone through several bass players) and a brief West Coast tour. I have no idea what they sound like these days, but here's hoping they're still catchy as fuck. KATHLEEN RICHARDS

LVL UP, UPSET, BLOWOUT, SNOW ROLLER
(Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Double Double Whammy is the little New Jersey label that could, and by "could," I mean have arguably the most hardworking and innovative roster of punky, electronic-infused guitar-pop out today. LVL UP's 2014 album Hoodwink'd is essentially the bridge between bedroom pop acts, like labelmates Frankie Cosmos and Porches, and lo-fi sad pop, like Pinkerton-era Weezer and Dinosaur Jr. Joining LVL UP on the bill is the California fuzz-punk supergroup Upset, along with the "Semi-OK" Portland honky-tonk indie rock of Snow Roller and the catchy twinkle-punk of Blowout (Upset's Lauren Records labelmates). It's the rare occasion that you would be doing yourself a disservice to miss any of the acts on the bill, as it's sure to be a night overflowing with great emotional indie rock. CC

FRIDAY 7/31

PICKATHON: KAMASI WASHINGTON, WOLF PEOPLE, WAND, RYLEY WALKER, HAPPYNESS, & MORE
(Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley) Pickathon begins in earnest today, and despite any obvious headliners at the top of the poster, this year boasts a very deep bench—perhaps the best lineup the annual festival's ever had. Tonight, buzzworthy acts Wolf People and Kamasi Washington close out the late-night barn sets, but earlier in the day, the opportunity to see finger-picker Ryley Walker perform songs from his brilliant album Primrose Green should not be missed. Los Angeles thunder-chasers Wand will also bring a volcanic fuzz to the bucolic Pendarvis Farm, and jangly London slouch-rockers Happyness ease the crowd into a weekend of aural overload. NED LANNAMANN Also see My, What a Busy Week!, and read our articles on Wolf People, and Kamasi Washington.

MANDARIN DYNASTY, HOOP, THE YELLOW DRESS
(Brass Tacks Sandwiches, 3535 N Vancouver) The upcoming sophomore album from Portland's Mandarin Dynasty, Feedback Time, is an album of Arthur Russell references, bottomless nostalgia, and love gone wrong. Combining well-rendered songwriting with playful arrangements, the album nods to decades of clever heartbreak pop as a host of instruments make walk-on appearances over an all-star backing band. It manages to find some magical place between sincerity and levity without feeling forced or heavy-handed, and contains at least one song that should reasonably become a cherished standard of karaoke duets. Tonight is the band's joint tour kick-off with Seattle band Hoop (featuring members of Autococoon and Sick Sad World); come eat sandwiches. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

POSSESSED BY PAUL JAMES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) That Possessed by Paul James' show overlaps with Pickathon almost seems cruel. As James plays in Portland proper, loads of potential fans will be out prancing the paths of Pendarvis Farm. But it is, after all, Pickathon that put James on our radar to begin with. (He played there last year.) Indeed, James—an animated guitar picker and fiddler, and a righteously connected, spiritual performer—and Pickathon are like peas in a pod. Born in Florida and now living in Texas, James (real name: Konrad Wert) belts an amalgam of Southern styles, from country to folk to bluegrass, all with maximum effort, sweat, and stomping howl. As a solo performer, James is gritty, unpretentious, and high-watt, a dynamic one-man band with a voice, fiddle, and boot heel; with a group behind him, James swells (see "Hurricane"). And while it's a shame he won't be on the farm, James' Portland show offers a little silver lining for those who can't be at Pickathon: In the city, he'll kick up a little of that dust and flair. ANDREW R TONRY

KYLE GEIGER, JGARRETT, OBVIATE, JASON SHELTON
(Euphoria, 315 SE 3rd) The recently remodeled Rotture, now the Euphoria nightclub, debuts with a loud bang for this techno night, presenting four like-minded acts of the highest caliber. Headlining is Kyle Geiger, a forward-thinking musicophile with an interesting philosophy of dance music. The art of DJing lies in the synergy created when song elements, presented in a specific context to each other, create something more expansive as a whole than each individual part. It's all very zen, but it's something good selectors like Geiger tend to be in tune with. You will find this precise attention to detail on his own productions as well, which appear on his album imprint, Cubera, as well as other highly visible labels including Drumcode, Cocoon, Soma, Sleaze, Perc Trax, and Droid. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD

GAYTHEIST, RABBITS, LEFT BLANK, BOBBY PERU
(Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick) In a match made within the skuzzy dregs where noise rock, punk, and metal collide, two of Portland's premiere arbiters of loud have joined forces. Rabbits and Gaytheist are releasing their split LP, GAY*BITS, a sideshow of pummeling tunes that features an extremely collaborative approach. Per the press release, the 12 songs are "split six to a side, each band's side comprising two new tracks, an old song revised with the other band's singer singing, two covers of the other band's old tracks, and another new song performed by each band separately but written together." That clear for everyone? If not, then you're just gonna have to get down to Kenton Club and buy the album. In fact, that plan is recommended. RJP

SEAPONY, TENDER AGE, TAPE WAVES
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) I was running a small music blog in 2011, receiving piles of less-than-desirable CDs, when a debut of perfectly understated dream pop from the Seattle band Seapony showed up in my P.O. box. At a time when most albums I received tried to dazzle with studio frills and piles of overdubs, Seapony's hazy, twee vocals and surf-tinged guitar lines over minimal drum machine beats served as the perfect counterpoint. The band's second album came out in 2012 on Hardly Art and their latest, the self-released A Vision, comes out this week. The band seems to thrive on reliability rather than reinvention, and the three-year gap between albums has allowed for the most modest of evolutions. A percussionist and some warm synths fill out the sound ever so slightly, but largely it's just a continuation of everything they already do right. Opening the night are the equally dreamy combo of Charleston's Tape Waves and Portland's own Tender Age, making for an impressive lineup of female-led dream pop. JJA

SATURDAY 8/1

50: A POSSIBLE HISTORY OF DANCE MUSIC 1965-2015
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See My, What a Busy Week!

PICKATHON: ALICE GERRARD, TINARIWEN, TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS, VIET CONG, KEVIN MORBY, & MORE
(Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley) Pickathon weekend continues with a diverse bill of roots-rock, roots, rock, and countless permutations thereof. Oklahoma country-rockers Turnpike Troubadours are poised to be this year's breakout act, following the path of Shakey Graves and the Avett Brothers before them. Calgary post-punkers Viet Cong should find their dark, coiled no wave at pleasing diametric odds with Pickathon's lush surroundings; same goes for Tinariwen's dust-dry desert blues. Be sure to check out Kevin Morby, a former member of Woods who's turned in two spectacular albums of urban folk. Meanwhile, the ever-prolific Ty Segall has put a new group together especially for the occasion, cryptically bearing the name the Roling Stons. NL See My, What a Busy Week! Also, read our article on Alice Gerrard.

FALL OUT BOY, WIZ KHALIFA, HOODIE ALLEN, DJ DRAMA
(Amphitheater Northwest, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) I was going to say that the only people I would have to explain a Fall Out Boy/Wiz Khalifa show to is parents, but, honestly, I think that any Portlander with a child could name a Fall Out Boy song and vaguely describe a Pete Wentz dong picture. The Strokes might have beat Fall Out Boy to claim the title of the "next Nirvana" in the 21st century, but the crew of four questionably-dressed dudes from Chicago really deserve the comparison. The band all met through a gaggle of Midwest underground bands (Racetraitor, a powerviolence outfit featuring drummer Andy Hurley, still holds up especially well) and ushered in a new era of emo/pop dominance on American radio. The pairing with Wiz Khalifa might seem a bit mismatched until it becomes clear that the two entities are distinctly genre-based artists with eyes on pop supremacy. MP

STILL CAVES, HOODED HAGS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) My first encounter with the mind-shattering, psychedelic space-rock of Still Caves came years back in the East End basement. While opening for garage-rock luminaries Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin, Still Caves managed to set the mood for one of the most memorable shows I've seen in the past half-decade. The band's ability to dump layers of fuzz and heavy vibes on top of an audience, and yet still offer up some sort of danceable groove makes for one of Portland's most enjoyably frenetic live shows. While Still Caves have been a fixture of our city's live scene since 2011, their studio output has long been confined to a single six-song EP, 2012's Static Lips. Tonight the band are ready to drop another half-dozen tracks with Gnarly for Days, and if album opener "This Face" is any indication, it's ready to melt your face off. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

ANTHONY RANIERI, LAURA STEVENSON, ALLISON WEISS, WILLOW GROVE
(White Eagle, 836 N Russell) Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Allison Weiss was one of the first heavily publicized artists to successfully press an LP with money raised through a Kickstarter campaign, inadvertently becoming a spokesperson for internet promotion in the process. The resulting buzz sort of eclipsed the record itself, 2009's ...Was Right All Along, a catchy if occasionally aseptic batch of indie-pop songs that presaged the punk-imbued twee "story-yelling" perfected by newer projects like Waxahatchee. Weiss' latest, Say What You Mean, is her best so far, and sees the cutesy-pie arrangements of previous releases exchanged for giant power-pop production that perfectly befits the record's giant power-pop essence (in particular, the one-two punch of "Making It Up" and "One Way Love"). MORGAN TROPER

HELL, GLOAM, EPHEMEROS
(High Water Mark, 6800 NE MLK) The drone: Hell might play the usual beer-and-cigarette-soaked rooms associated with Sizzle Pie metal, but the bleeding, seething heart of Hell lies in the drone, not the main ingredient of doom, the riff. Their elegiac, haunting repeated figures chart studies in attrition, more akin to Pacific Northwest hallmarks Grouper and Dragging an Ox Through Water than the bands with whom they usually share the stage. Bleak music doesn't get much bleaker than this—Hell's Trilogy of long-players unfolds like a self-flagellating Inferno, revising sludge's tropes with darker, more evil parts, until it concludes with III, a transcendent, two-part record that unfolds like a Northwest doom Aeneid. MP

SUNDAY 8/2

MY BODY, THE FOURTH WALL, DOUBLEPLUSGOOD
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) See My, What a Busy Week!

PICKATHON: WOLF PEOPLE, ALICE GERRARD, LEON BRIDGES, EX HEX, LANGHORNE SLIM, SUMMER CANNIBALS, & MORE
(Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley) There are too many must-see bands at this year's Pickathon for an abbreviated preview like this to do them any justice, but some quick remarks: Rootsy soul-slinger Langhorne Slim is a Pickathon favorite, and deservedly so. Leon Bridges' debut album Coming Home is already a huge hit, and his vintage R&B is one of the warmest, most reassuring sounds this year. Ex Hex's energetic noise pop is fueled by Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag), and Summer Cannibals do their hometown proud, their snarl-toothed punk-pop representing PDX at the city's most wholly pleasurable summer festival. NL See My, What a Busy Week! Also, read our articles on Wolf People, and Alice Gerrard.

CAUSTIC TOUCH, ADHERE TO FORM
(Killingsworth Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth) When post-punk synthpop band Vice Device aren't tearing up the house, they're churning out live solo projects that would stop a horse dead in its tracks—not to mention a human. Caustic Touch is the one-woman show of Andrea Device, as she lays hands on all sorts of electronic gear in an arresting display of evolving distortions. The intensity of her sound palette and presentation is definitely worth your trip out of the house on a Sunday. The icing on the cake is Bobby Eagleson's project Adhere to Form. I don't know how one person can use so many instruments and sing on top of it all, but he does it with a style and finesse that would have a dystopian-era George Michael begging at his feet. CB

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY, OLD CITY, THE STOPS, THE PLURALS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) The Stops play the sort of razor-sharp punk rock that made California punks like the Runaways or Tilt inspire generations of women to pick up guitars and play the shit out of them. The Portland quintet played a blistering set at this year's PDX Pop Now!, and their 2015 LP Nameless Faces is being released by Dirt Cult Records in the States and Sabotage Records in the UK. The album's opener, "Black and White," festers and wails, as motorik drums and cutting power-chord assaults steer the way to an aural blitzkrieg. Chicago's Daylight Robbery unabashedly channel the Doe/Cervenka vibe of LA punk legends X, parlaying attitude over volume for a truly classic punk-rock template. RJP

MONDAY 8/3

HIGH ON FIRE, PALLBEARER, LUCIFER, VENOMOUS MAXIMUS
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) As we've already highlighted High on Fire and Lucifer elsewhere in this issue, we've endorsed this show plenty. But give me another hundred or so words to really underscore that this lineup is a doozy. On the one hand you've got Venomous Maximous, who offer '70s hard rock and B-movie camp that's primed for house-party shenanigans. Then there's the almighty Pallbearer, who've taken the melodicism of Candlemass, the riffage of Trouble, and a '70s prog-rock sense of songcraft to create Foundations of Burden, already a touchstone in doom metal even though it was released just this past year. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN Also see My, What a Busy Week!, and read our article on Lucifer.

SNOWBLIND TRAVELER, FUTURE HISTORIANS, SUPERCROW
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Confederate Burial, the second album by Snowblind Traveler, came out last July, but was limited to a digital-only release. It has finally received the vinyl treatment this month, which is the ideal format for these intimate, sparse, and occasionally haunting songs. Snowblind Traveler is the project of Long Island-born and -raised songwriter Matt Dorrien, who recorded Confederate Burial while living in San Francisco. But these songs sound as though they could've been composed and recorded at dusk on an old wooden porch in Georgia. Dorrien sings and picks guitar with equal delicacy, and his lyrics tell tales that have been told and retold for hundreds of years. SEH

TUESDAY 8/4

TEI SHI, NATASHA KMETO
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Tei Shi is everything you want your indie-pop princess to be: beautiful, breathy, and from Buenos Aires. She's not just an air source with synth beats, however; Valerie Teicher is a Berklee alum, and has played at South by Southwest and sung on tracks for Glass Animals and Shy Girls. After growing up back and forth between South America and Canada, Shi landed in Brooklyn, putting out her first EP in 2013. Her sound lands somewhere between Lykke Li in breathiness, Kylie Minogue in flirtatious lyrics, and the haunting, electropop-infused backbeat from a really good warehouse party in Brooklyn. Her most recent EP, Verde, is a nice mix of introspective, meandering ballads and poppy, head-swaying jamz. ROSE FINN

SOUL IPSUM, GARDENER, ANT'LRD, DON GERO, PICKPOCKET
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) This night of synthesized electronics does feature a wealth of local talent, like the tainted loops and burbling melodies of Soul Ipsum and the self-proclaimed "sun-drenched swirls" of Ant'lrd, but pay equal attention to Gardener. The Chicago-based artist trucks in equally hazy and often beautiful melodies that take cues from early electronic pioneers like Charles Wuorinen and Tangerine Dream, while giving some of his work an extra layer of distance between the listener and the heartfelt creator by recording onto hissy cassettes and using noisy, shortwave-radio-frequency tones. RH

AOIFE O'DONOVAN, ANNALISA TORNFELT
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) With lyrics like "Pour me some bourbon and lay me down low," it's hard for me not to like Aoife O'Donovan. Her voice sounds like it could be a delicious, smoky burrito, filled with notes of Alison Krauss and Joni Mitchell, and smothered with a tangy folk sauce. An accomplished musician and alum of the New England Conservatory of Music, O'Donovan hails from Massachusetts, and is best known as lead singer of the bluegrass band Crooked Still, as well as a member of the trio Sometymes Why. She has also played with Yo-Yo Ma, the Boston Pops, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, in addition to numerous bluegrass musicians. After spending her childhood summers in Ireland, and with influences like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, it's easy to hear the Irish influence in her songs, alongside the brooding backbone and sweet, beautiful harmonies of classic American folk. RF